Friend, Please
by Mia-Marauder-Potter
Summary: #2 in my Multiverse Series. Cassiopeia Black, Alexia Potter, and a sneak peek of a not yet published fic that is a HP/MCU crossover. Alexia and Cassiopeia find themselves in a universe where Harry's birth father is actually the god Loki - but Cassiopeia finds herself dangerously low on magic and needs the help of Sirius to keep herself alive.


**Just a few things before I start! **

**I've made the decision to keep a running **_**thing**_ **of multiverse fics that include all of my fics. Because of this, at the beginning of them, I'll list who is in each of them to keep things clear for you. **

**This one in particular contains a sneak peek at a fic that I haven't actually posted yet! I don't currently have a name for it, but I am like… twelve chapters in. It is a Harry Potter x Marvel Cinematic Universe fic in which Loki is actually Harry's dad. I'm hoping to start posting that one sometime soon… but if you've followed some of my fics, you may know that soon is not always **_**soon**_**.**

**The reason I post this is that Padfootl0ve and I had an **_**amazing**_ **idea this Thanksgiving that will fix Hermione's curse/bond with Dolohov in Athair. It was an incredible coincidence that I set things up this way and Padfootl0ve had an epiphany while driving and listening to me ramble on for two hours on the way to our grandpa's house. **

**She's a trooper, honestly. I'm not even sure I stopped to breathe the entire time. **

**Anyway, enjoy! **

**Cassiopeia, Alexia, MCU.**

"Can you- don't!" Draco exclaimed, jumping toward Alexia. He pulled her abruptly away from the door in front of her. When she found her feet firmly underneath herself again, she turned around and smacked his arm.

"'Can you don't'," she repeated bitterly. "Very articulate. What is it?"

"You might not be on fire anymore, but that room is," he said plainly. She glanced between him and the door she'd been about to open and nodded once.

"When did Croaker decide to study Fiendfyre more?"

"While you were on your bloody honeymoon," he stated. "And it's taken you nearly a month to even realize there's another door, Dolohov."

"In my defense," she said as they began walking down the hall to her office. "We've been a bit busy. Perhaps at some point you could try calling me by my first name."

"Too informal," he disagreed.

"And yanking me backward isn't?" she shot back. He rolled his eyes and held the door for her, allowing her to slip inside first. When she stepped in, however, she caught sight of a familiar girl engulfed in what looked like purely magical golden flames. With the confirmation of the girl in question via the panic through their bond, she jumped forward and reached in to try and pull her out. Instead of pulling her out, she was pulled in and thrown against her moments before they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke and fire.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The magical fire released both women after what felt like an eternity. They collapsed to the ground, which was nearly a foot below them, and they both let out similar groans of pain.

"Motherfucker," Alexia hissed, rolling to get to her knees. She grabbed her head in her hands at the uncomfortable pain that came from her twin bond being ripped away from her. "Oh, _fuck_."

"Goddamn it," Cassiopeia whimpered, letting her head fall on the ground. "My core really doesn't need this right now."

"Shit," Alexia breathed. She managed to open her eyes to look at the other girl and found her looking ready to pass out. "Cass- Cassiopeia?"

"Not again," Cassiopeia complained. "Where are we? Which one are you?"

"Alexia," she answered, looking around. "I think we're… this is Diagon Alley."

Cassiopeia let out a small sigh and forced her eyes open. When she did, she recognized the mostly empty store they were in. "Yeah, Diagon Alley. Where did- where were you?"

"Department of Mysteries," Alexia answered absently.

"The DOM?" Cassiopeia asked her, slightly horrified. "_Why_?"

"I work down there," she replied, looking to the younger girl. "It's a damn good thing Draco was there with me. He'll get Croaker and probably Jamie as well."

Cassiopeia winced. "I was at Hogwarts. I think it's safe to assume we're not in either of our universes, right?"

Alexia nodded. "The question is, whose _are_ we in?" She glanced at Cassiopeia, looking for a response, and found the other girl looking ready to pass out. "Hey, what is it?"

"My core," she said quietly. "I keep being attacked, using- draining so much of my core. It happened again less than a week ago, and I'm not- however we got here, it pulled on my core, and now I'm-,"

"Dangerously low," Alexia summarized. She grabbed one of her daggers and waved it over Cassiopeia. When a scan of her core popped up, she grimaced. "_Very_ dangerously low. Can you feel- do you think there's a Regulus in this universe?"

Cassiopeia shook her head slightly. "My bond snapped. How is yours doing?"

"Well," she considered slowly. "My twin bond with Jamie is fucked again. My soulmate bond is- well, it's fine, actually. Sort of… strong."

"Who- did you get married?"

"I did," she confirmed. She got to her feet carefully, noting that her bond was getting stronger. "We're in Scribbulus."

"I figured," Cassiopeoia agreed. "It's always a mess in here."

"How strong are you feeling?" Alexia glanced back at her. Cassiopeia shook her head, which was the only answer Alexia needed. "Right. Are you strong enough to hold a shield?"

"Not for long," Cassiopeia eyed her. "Why? What is it?"

"I just- I need to handle something," Alexia said. "Put up a shield, okay? I'll be right back."

"Alexia-,"

"Right back!" Alexia assured her. Once Cassiopeia put up a hesitant, shaky shield, she slipped through the stacks of books and met the familiar face at the front of the empty shop. "_Looking for me_?"

Antonin's eyes slid over her curiously. They settled on the ring on her finger, and he grabbed her hand in his and brushed his finger over the ring. "_Where do you come from?_"

"_Not here_," she answered calmly. "_I'm not yours, so don't get any ideas._"

"_I have plenty of ideas, pet._"

She rolled her eyes at him. "_I'm sure you do, but keep them to yourself. I'm not here on purpose, and I'm getting the hell out of here as soon as I figure this out._"

He watched her almost hungrily and she prepared herself to fight him, far too aware that she'd gotten incredibly lucky with her own Antonin. Her free hand slipped down to her dagger and gripped onto it, and as she pulled it, he eyed it. "_You do not trust your own bond mate._"

"_I trust him fine_," she disagreed. "_But I don't trust you. I've met many alternate versions of my husband, and they're almost all horrible people that would-_," she shook her head. "_I won't let you hurt me. I will kill you first, and if I don't, he will find you and kill you himself._"

Antonin chuckled lowly. "_What could you be so afraid of, Dorogaya_?"

Alexia bristled at the familiar pet name and she resisted the urge to snap at him. "_Would you like a list of things I know alternate versions of yourself have done to alternate versions of me_?" He raised an eyebrow, which was as good as a nod. "_They have raped four of us, sometimes more than once. They have kidnapped, tortured, and murdered us. They taunted us and followed us. They cursed us, they forced a soul bond on two of us, one of whom will never know her true soulmate because of you. Still, after all of that, they are obsessed. I was lucky. You only tried to kill me once and tortured me a bit more before that, and you got over that. I have no way of knowing what sort of person you are, Antonin, so you'll forgive me for being cautious._"

Antonin's eyes narrowed in on hers in a way that almost made her nervous. He was quiet for far too long before he spoke, holding her hand tightly within his own. "_You married a man that tortured you and tried to kill you._"

Alexia was so surprised by the response, more expecting to be cursed, that she nearly laughed. "_It's a complicated situation. He got over it._"

"_You should never have been near him,_" he continued, regardless of her words. "_You claim to have knowledge of alternate versions of myself and yet you married the man that tried to kill you. How foolish are you_?"

Her lips thinned. "_I argued with my friends and family for years about this, defending you to them and now you're saying the same thing as them. I can truly, honestly say I never expected that._"

Antonin stared at her with his dark eyes for a long minute before he spoke again. "_What is your name, Dorogaya_?"

"_Alexia_," she offered.

"_Your full name. Your unmarried name_."

A bit more hesitant, she answered him. "_Alexia Dorea Potter._"

"_A Potter_," he repeated, slightly unbelieving. "_How_-,"

"_It is an incredibly complex situation_," she sighed.

"_I have time. Explain._"

Alexia shook her head. "_You won't believe me._"

"_You are my soulmate from another universe_," he said plainly. Understanding the point, she gave in.

"_There was an… accident, we can call it, and I was sent to the past. I was adopted by Charlus and Dorea Potter, and de-aged to be eleven. When I was twelve, Regulus was going to dose you for saying bad shit about Sirius and I, so I helped him make it untraceable, but I was given detention because McGonagall assumed it was me. You found out and pushed me down some stairs for it._"

"_He was not expelled_?"

"_McGonagall said no one was around me when I was found_," she rolled her eyes. "_That New Years' Eve, you pulled me from the ballroom and took me to my room to torture me and curse me while Avery was downstairs placing the same curse on Jamie. A while after that, you and Jamie were playing Quidditch and you knocked him off his broom, so I threw you off yours. You tortured me for that._"

"_You hear yourself while you tell me this, yes_?"

She ignored him. "_You triggered the curse you'd set on me in March of that year and it permanently scarred my mind. If I get too emotional too quickly, I lose years of my memory until I either calm down or take a potion I created with Alphard Black. Discussing the death of my brother, I lost years of my memory for a long period of time before someone was able to help me_."

"_Permanently scarred_," he repeated. He pulled his free hand up to stroke her cheek and she let him. It was a familiar feeling, and she didn't want to escalate the situation by pushing him away.

"_Let's see… the next year was when you tried to kill me. I went to the forest to get some peace from my friends, who were obsessively watching me because of you. You found me, and you looked into my mind just a little. Much less than I'd thought, I found out recently. We dueled for a bit. You managed to get on top of me, taunt me, hold me down… you hit me with that curse of yours again in the same spot as before, actually._"

"_Antoninus Execratione Maledicta Congessit_," he stated. When she just stared, he shook his head. "_My curse. You were hit with it twice_?"

"_Yeah. It sucked. Shit hurts._"

"_You should be dead._"

Alexia snorted. "_I did die twice, but never because of you. Well- well, actually yes, but not my version of you. It's… a long story._"

"_Then I suggest you continue it._"

She made a face at him. "_Lucius found me and saved me. It was the next year that anything really happened again. Your family was banned from our ball for a year, but they threw a fit the next year because- well things were beginning. The war was getting harder, Voldemort was-,_"

"_You dare say his name_?" he hissed at her. She scoffed.

"_That bastard is dead in my universe, Antonin. I don't know what year it is here-,_"

"_1994_-,"

"_But he can go fuck himself_," she finished stubbornly. He stared at her, displeased, but said nothing else on the subject. "_Lucius and Regulus got the Mark that Christmas break. I was warned about it, so I warned them. Lucius and I were dating, though, and… well, Voldemort- don't give me that look, would you rather I use the more creative names I've come up with for him_?"

"_I would prefer you show proper have a Dark Mark, after all._"

Alexia finally pulled the hand he was holding away and held her arm tightly at her side. "_He wanted me dead. Lucius spent the break trying to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't able to. You, however… fucking Anatoly told you that I'm a Dolohov and to stop trying to bloody murder me, so you saved me. You caught me in a dance at the ball and told me as much and left me to my panic attack in peace._"

"_You are a Dolohov_," he stated. Their soul bond was stronger than the familial bond, so he hadn't noticed it, but she nodded.

"_My father - my birth father - he was a squib. Kir is his brother, and him and their parents Obliviated him of magic and gave him to muggles, along with Kir so he could stay and make sure my father didn't have magical kids. The bastard did something good and he didn't turn me over to your bloody family until I came back to the future and went to check on him and my aunt. You were pissed about that, and honestly? I don't blame you. I got fucking kidnapped and he was going to-," she grimaced and shook her head. "You killed two people for that. Nikita and Kastya._"

Antonin's frown didn't let up. "_At what point did you decide to marry me_?"

Alexia laughed slightly. "_Um, it's a difficult situation. I was- I was engaged to Regulus Black because his grandfather was fucking insane and forced me into a contract, but… he and I both knew I was falling in love with you. Maybe I already was. We ended it after I got kidnapped because his grandfather was killed trying to save me and we knew it wasn't what we wanted. It wasn't long after that when I ended up seeing my parents again through some tricky magic and got their blessing to be with you. When I got back, we got together._"

"_You did not answer my question_," he pointed out.

"_We got engaged because Feliks had a valid contract that Anatoly had written up for us in the case that ours didn't work out, and he planned to force me to marry him within the week. Having the soul bond born from having sex, we sealed it that day and planned a wedding a week out. This was about a month ago._"

"_You married a man that tortured you and tried to kill you_," he reminded her. "_How are you so sure he will not hurt you as the others have?_"

"_I got lucky,_" she said plainly. "_He's safe. The others aren't. I trust him to never hurt me or the people I care for again. He loves me._"

Antonin stared at her, but he shifted gears. "_How did you come here_?"

Alexia glanced back, suddenly remembering Cassiopeia. "Oh, shit!" she exclaimed. She hurried through the bookshelves again to find Cassiopeia passed out with her wand rolled away from her. "Goddamn it. Her core is nearly empty. Without Regulus, I don't know how to help her… what's the Black family like in this universe? Where's Sirius?"

"On the run," Antonin said, also switching to English. "Escaped from Azkaban."

Alexia grimaced. "And what's the date, exactly?"

"It is just barely November 1st, 1994," he answered her. "I believe it just passed midnight."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, straightening slightly. "I know exactly what to do, then. Can you- would you be willing to… watch her?"

"You trust me now," he raised an eyebrow. She sighed.

"You haven't attacked me yet, and you're better than leaving her here alone," she stated. "But you'll need to keep her unconscious. If she wakes up and sees you, she'll probably freak out and possibly try to curse you, which would probably kill her at this point."

"I will take her to my home."

Alexia shook her head immediately. "No, don't. I can't- I really can't put up with potentially seeing your family again. After being kidnapped twice and them all looking at me like I'm some sort of inhuman incubator-,"

"Do you not have the family magic?" he wondered. She hesitated.

"Well, I _do_, but do you really think it'll work in another universe?"

"Try it."

Having never called it before, it took her a second, but she tugged on a cord inside of her and felt the magic come alive. The Thestral appeared before them, and she relaxed a bit. "Will you call it as well and have it protect her? I don't… she's still a kid and she's been through too much bullshit."

"Go, Dorogaya," he instructed, though he nodded. "I will keep her safe until you return."

Satisfied, she turned once more to the family magic she'd called. "Follow me."

"Be careful, Alexia," Antonin requested. "Sirius Black can be a dangerous man when he wants to be."

She didn't respond. Instead, she twisted on her ankle and Apparated from the book store to a familiar woods that still sent shivers down her spine. The Thestral appeared at her side, standing tall and feeling dangerous. "Protect me from anything that wants to hurt me."

The Thestral - which she silently dubbed Sara - dipped its head. Feeling a bit more confident, she began walking carefully through the woods to find Sirius. Her careful, quiet trek was interrupted abruptly by a voice shouting nearby.

"Sirius! I don't think you killed my parents, I just want to help you!"

Alexia blinked a couple of times at Harry's voice and, cursing him, hurried over. He was only a minute away, and he stood with two other boys, one of whom she recognized - Theo. "Harry James, you're going to get yourself attacked!"

"_Hermione_?" Harry stared at her with wide eyes. "You look… _different_."

"Older," Theo added. "She's got black hair."

"I'm not from here," she offered, eyeing the unfamiliar boy curiously. "I came looking for Sirius because I knew he'd be out here tonight, but I guess you had the same idea."

"Yeah, what d'you mean you're not from here?" Harry asked her. He was different, she realized. He was more confident and radiated a different sort of power than she was used to, one not like James. She stepped closer and purposely tripped over a branch so she could grab onto him slightly. When she did, she reached out with her magic and found that their familial bond… didn't exist.

Her brow furrowed as she stared at him and straightened. "You're either someone pretending to be Harry, or you're very different from the one I know."

"Why would someone pretend to be him?" the unfamiliar boy wondered.

"Since you're looking for Sirius, I'd assume to draw Sirius out and kill him or arrest him. Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, ma'am," he held his hand out for her. She offered her own, used to people in the wizarding world kissing hands. He didn't, though, and they just stood there for a moment holding one another's hands before she shook it and pulled away awkwardly. "Peter Parker."

"Alexia Potter," she replied. "You're muggleborn?"

"I'm what now?"

"He's a muggle," Harry told her. "You can't be a Potter. You're Hermione."

"I used to be," she allowed. "Why do you have a muggle in the Forbidden Forest? He could be killed!"

"We found him," he defended. "What do you need Sirius for, anyway?"

"Someone is dying," she sighed. "I can't help her anymore. He can."

"I'm confused," Theo admitted. "Where are you from exactly? The future? Did you marry Harry?"

"Did I- ew, no," she screwed up her face. He eyed her wedding ring and she rolled her eyes. "It's complicated. Harry and I are only friends, and we will only ever be friends. I'm from another universe. I'm not entirely sure how I got here, but I have a couple ideas. But like I said, I need to find Sirius."

"Is no one going to ask about the big death horse?" Peter wondered hesitantly. Alexia glanced back at the family magic that stood a little bit behind her and realized she'd forgotten about it.

"It's not a real Thestral," she assured them. "Sara is my family magic, and she's here in case anything in the forest tries to attack me."

"We should probably keep going before something notices we're here," Harry decided with a slight sigh. "You can come with if you want."

Alexia glanced at Sara. "Protect them as well, and Sirius when we find him. Do not kill anything, just incapacitate them."

"Was that… a necessary warning?" Peter asked, slightly alarmed. She shrugged.

"I haven't needed her help in over a month, and before that, never," she explained as they began walking, using their wands for light as they looked for the man. "The family I married into is pretty dark, so I wouldn't be surprised if Sara decided to kill anyone that wanted to hurt us."

"What family did you marry into?" Harry wondered curiously. Absently, she cut away some branches and silenced all of their footsteps both to ensure nothing heard them and so as not to spook Sirius.

"Dolohovs," she answered. At the silence she got in return, she sighed. "Look, I don't like the family, either. Assholes kidnapped me twice and nearly killed me once. I just had the misfortune of falling in love with Antonin, who is actually a good enough person in my universe. I'm well aware of how horrible he is in other universes, so don't feel the need to tell me."

"A bit defensive," Harry commented, though he said nothing else. The group continued walking for a few minutes before Alexia finally got impatient and raised her wand to cast a Patronus.

"Take us to Sirius, but don't let him see you," she requested. The otter began swimming to the left, so she followed it.

"What was _that_?" Peter whispered to Harry somewhat loudly. Harry glanced at his new friend.

"It's called a Patronus," he told him. "They're magic that protects you from something called a dementor. I didn't realize you could make them do things for you, though."

"And they can send messages," Alexia added. She slowed as the otter stopped, and she put a hand up to stop them. "Stay here for a moment. He's bound to be… not well."

"But-,"

"Harry, _please_," she looked at him, wishing he was her Harry. "My friend is going to die. I need his help, and I can't get that if we spook him away."

"Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "But hurry."

Relieved, Alexia carefully stepped forward. There was a small clearing before them and she saw Padfoot sitting with a familiar cat. Thinking of how to best approach him, she dug into her bag until she found the potions she was looking for. With them in her grip, she spelled their names onto the bottles with some light-up ink she had in her bag. The first one she rolled over was the nutrition draught. It came to a stop at his paws and he glanced at it in surprise. Next, she sent over a calming draught, which he nudged closer to his body. Finally, she tossed her wand over. It prompted him to shift into Sirius, and he plucked it up immediately.

Hesitantly, Alexia stepped forward with both of her hands up. By the time he could see her, he had the wand pointed at her, his hand shaking violently. "Sirius, I'm not here to arrest you. I need your help."

He stared at her with his mad eyes, looking as if he were ready to bolt. "Who are you? An Auror?"

"No," she disagreed. "My name is Alexia. I'm actually not from this universe. I will swear that on my magic."

"Swear that you won't turn me in, too," he ordered. She nodded and reached down to grab a dagger, but he reacted too quickly and shot off a curse. In a split second, she put up a blood shield and held her dagger before her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she insisted. "I gave you my wand, so I need to use my daggers, okay?"

"Why do you have- that's dark blood magic," he said as if she didn't know. "Why the hell are you using dark magic?"

"I don't know what spell you shot," she reminded him. "And this shield absorbs everything except for the Killing Curse. I was protecting myself."

"Just swear it on your magic," Sirius barked, getting impatient.

Alexia nodded and raised her other dagger, keeping the shield in place. "I, Alexia Dorea Po- Dolohov, do swear on my wand and magic that I will not turn Sirius Black over to anyone that would do him harm. I swear that the potions I provided are, in fact, what I labeled them as, and I swear that I am from another universe."

The tip of the dagger lit up.

Sirius stared at her with wide eyes and lowered the wand in his hand. "Another… universe?"

"Yeah."

"You're a Dolohov," he said, raising the wand again slightly.

"Married in," she said quickly. "I was Alexia Potter, Sirius. James is my twin brother, okay?"

"James- that's impossible."

"You were blood adopted by my parents, right?" He nodded shortly, so she stepped forward cautiously and grabbed his free hand within her own, ignoring the way her wand was now pressed against her chest. She sent a pulse through their familial bond, and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"You were a Potter."

"Yes, and I need your help. I have a friend, she's from another universe as well but not my own. Her core is critically low, and I'm not enough to support her. She needs you - you're her brother in her universe, and you have a sibling bond with her that's been sealed."

"I need to find and kill Pettigrew," he disagreed darkly. "Harry's not safe."

"Harry's here, too," she said. She waved behind her and though he didn't move at first, Theo shoved him forward until he stumbled into the clearing. "Please tell him, Harry. He needs to help me."

"She's telling the truth," Harry assured Sirius. "I'm okay. I'll go with you guys if that'll make you feel better."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Alexia disagreed, but Sirius nodded once firmly.

"If Harry comes, I'll go."

"My friends should come, too," Harry sighed.

"No," Alexia said firmly. "Send Theo back to Hogwarts and the muggle back wherever you found him. I'll be responsible for both of you _and_ Cassiopeia, and I can't protect them, too."

"Cassiopeia," Sirius repeated. "My sister's name was Cassiopeia, but she was killed with Orion."

"Yeah," Alexia sighed. "Well, you can meet her as a teenager, but we need to hurry."

"It'll take time to get Theo back to Hogwarts and Peter to the cabin," Harry frowned.

Alexia looked to Sara. "Can you take them where they need to go safely and protect them the entire time?"

Sara bowed her head and broke into two Thestrals, both heading to the area behind them where Theo and Peter were listening in.

"There," she said. "Now we're unprotected, so _let's go_."

"Where are we going?" Sirius asked, though he allowed her to take his hand. Harry did as well, so she didn't bother to answer and instead just Apparated from the forest and to the house she'd come to hate so much.

"_There_," Antonin said, getting to his feet. "_She will be dead in minutes._"

"_Convincing him to come wasn't the easiest thing, and neither was finding him_," she defended. She brushed past him and made her way to Cassiopeia, who was pale and unconscious on a bed. She grabbed the girl's hand and did her best to push magic into her even more. "Sirius, you need to come on her other side and spark your bond."

"Cassie," Sirius breathed. He hurried over to the bed and let his hand hover over Cassiopeia's. "She's so old."

"Seventeen, I'd guess," Alexia agreed. "Take the hand, Sirius. You can meet her, but not if she dies again."

Sirius grimaced and slowly dropped his hand on hers. The bond was sparked almost immediately, and her core latched greedily onto his. He let out a gasp and lurched forward as if she was physically pulling on him.

"What's happening?" Harry asked Alexia.

"Her core is critically low," she answered quietly. "It means she's almost completely out of magic. She needs more. She has a bond with me, and she has a sibling bond with the Sirius of her universe. I wasn't enough to do much more than barely keep her alive, but her bond with Sirius is a lot stronger, so he's supporting her while her magic builds back up again."

"Why is her bond with him stronger than her bond with you?" he wondered.

"I can only guess it's because we were bonded together with more than just us," she shrugged. "There were six of us altogether. With all of us, we had enough magic to bring Mia back from the brink of death and make her strong enough to fight a hell of a battle."

"How do you bond six people together?"

"You don't," Sirius answered, frowning at Alexia.

"Antonin bound us," she shrugged. "You'd have to ask him. I was used to ground the bond, which is good since no one else would let him in their head."

Harry and Sirius looked to Antonin, who was still watching Alexia. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Any bond between six people would also bind the sealer with them."

"He- but he didn't," she disagreed.

"I assure you, he did."

"Wouldn't I have noticed? I mean, it was after that when our soul bond ignited, but we spent a lot of time together that summer before that happened. We should've noticed."

"Did you not wonder where the soul bond came from?"

"The pairing," she rolled her eyes. "We were paired together by Anatoly three years before we had sex."

"The pairing would have no effect," he scoffed. "Not without something to spur it on. For example, an already existing bond."

Alexia let out a frustrated breath. "_Bloody fucking big-headed twat! He can't even tell me the truth now? We're married!_"

"What- what'd she say?" Harry asked.

Antonin chuckled. "Nothing for children to hear."

Harry bristled. "Have you been paying attention to the news? Do I _seem_ like a kid to you?"

"You certainly look like one."

"What do you mean, Pup?" Sirius asked, interrupting Harry before he could further irritate the Russian. "What news?"

"Politics," Harry sighed. "It's a lot to explain. I'm sure we'll- shit. I should probably…" his words drifted off and he silently sent a pulse through his necklace.

"She's waking up," Alexia breathed out in relief. "Antonin, out."

"No."

"She's going to freak the fuck out if she sees you!"

"So she will not see me," he amended. He waved his wand and cast a spell that Alexia recognized as the one Dorea had used to turn the dagger completely invisible. Just like her dagger, he was out of sight.

Cassiopeia squirmed slightly for a moment before her eyes peeked open. The first sight she saw was that of Alexia, who was squeezing her hand just a bit too tight in stress. "What- Alexia?"

"Hey," she smiled. "You're good. How's your core feeling?"

"A lot… actually, a lot better," she admitted. "How…?"

"Hey, Cassie," Sirius greeted in a rough voice. Her gaze shifted to him, and she seemed to recognize the state he was in.

"Is it… 1994?"

"Yep," Harry confirmed.

Cassiopeia grimaced and squeezed Sirius's hand. "You look like shit, Padfoot."

"You don't look much better yourself," he shot back, slightly offended. "I've been in Azkaban for _tw_-,"

"Twelve years, we know," she rolled her eyes. "You give me that line when you want my ice cream. It's lost its touch."

"You're alive," he commented quietly. "How?"

"Orion gave me to James and Lily," she answered. Apparently, she was feeling stronger than expected because she pushed herself into a sitting position, though she still held the hands of the people by her sides. "They died and I went with Harry to Petunia. You broke out in 1994, Lord G- _Daniel_ helped me get you freed, and you got custody of Harry immediately and me in the middle of summer when we found out who I am. That was three years ago."

"Shit," he cursed. He glanced at Harry. "She's your-,"

"I've never met her," Harry shook his head. "Apparently they're from different universes? But Dolohov is from here-,"

"Harry!" Alexia smacked his arm. Cassiopeia's eyes swept to hers.

"Alexia, he'd better fucking be yours."

"He isn't, but-,"

"I have to leave."

"But he's fine! And if he isn't, the family magic will kill him!"

"Family- the Black family magic?"

Alexia hesitated. "Right. Yeah."

"I thought you said it was the Dolohov family magic," Harry blinked in confusion.

"Dolohov?" Cassiopeia shook her head. "It couldn't be. Alexia wouldn't have access to it unless… unless she… married him."

Alexia cursed once more in Russian. "It's a _very_ long story. He's- like I said before, it's difficult, but he's a good… well, good might be a strong word for it… he isn't a bad person. Considering the fact that _this_ Antonin thinks I'm insane for marrying my own, I'd say he borders being a good person."

"Alexia, please," Cassiopeia said softly. "You don't understand. It was a week ago that he…"

Alexia's face fell. "He did it again?" The other girl nodded. "Shit. Are you okay? Did you- did you need any potions, or…?"

"Snape helped," Cassiopeia disagreed. "But you can't ask me to face him. Please, Alexia. I know he didn't… but did anyone? Do you understand how fucking terrifying it is?"

"Crabbe and Goyle," she whispered. "I'd love to tell him to fuck off, but… we're in his house, Cas. It was the safest place to take you while I found Sirius."

Her eyes widened. "Are there more of them?"

"I'm not sure, but to be quite honest, if I see any of them I might kill them," Alexia admitted.

"I'm confused," Harry admitted. "What did Dolohov do to you guys?"

"Nothing much to me," Alexia said. "But he hurt Cassiopeia pretty bad in the same way more than once now. She's understandably afraid of him."

"Regulus is dead here, isn't he?" she asked after a moment. Sirius looked at her in surprise.

"He died only a few months after you were born. Days before you and Orion died," Sirius explained. "Guess he did something to piss off Voldemort."

"Is your bond bothering you?" Alexia grimaced. "Yeah, my bond with Jamie is fucked, too. Hurts like hell. He's going to be very annoyed with me when I get home."

"I'm feeling a lot better, thanks to both of you," Cassiopeia said, looking between Alexia and Sirius. Her eyes turned to Harry, who looked slightly put out at being ignored for so long. "Wow, you're young. Did you always look that small? I don't remember you being so little at thirteen."

"Nah, he was," Alexia disagreed. "I'd know because I was somewhat recently a child again, and it was weird."

There was a soft pop in the room and Harry breathed out in relief. "I wasn't sure you'd gotten it. I have no clue what's going on anymore, and I know I'm grounded for the next ten years, but they're weird and I'm kind of worried about leaving Peter in that cabin with no one else."

"Slow yourself, Little Trickster," Loki instructed. While Harry took in a deep breath, the god took in the situation. The two identical women along with Sirius Black were who he saw first, but his eyes quickly swept to something behind the woman with brown eyes. He focused on it and stripped the layers of magic off of the man, revealing a familiar face. "Dolohov."

"Lord Potter," Antonin greeted. He stood behind Alexia's chair with his wand in his hand, prepared to fight.

"Shit," Cassiopeia cursed under her breath. When she began taking in air in quick, shallow breaths, Alexia dug through her bag for another calming draught, which she handed over. Cassiopeia took it quickly while Alexia twisted around to glare at the alternate version of her husband.

"I _told you_. Can we please move out of here so she can rest, you big _razdolay_?"

"Raz- what?" Harry asked, blinking.

"Wonderful idea. I'd like an explanation for all of this, particularly how my son ended up in the Dolohov family home in _Russia_," Loki agreed. He waved toward the door and, not ready to piss him off, Harry hurried over.

"I can't… leave her," Sirius frowned at Cassiopeia. "She's my sister."

"Sirius," Cassiopeia managed, tearing her eyes away from Dolohov, who was smirking down at Alexia. The girl was arguing with him quickly in Russian and pointing at the door, clearly trying to convince him to leave. "I'm… not. I'm not _your_ sister. I'm sorry you lost me, but I'm not from here. Alexia explained that, didn't she?"

"She did," Alexia said, interrupting her argument and then going right back to it.

"But you can't just… be here, and not be here for a reason," Sirius argued. "Maybe you're supposed to come back."

"I'm not from here," she insisted. "So I haven't come back, I've just come. I need to get home. You need to get mind healing and proven innocent, and then you can support Harry."

"No one will do mind healing for me," Sirius disagreed tiredly. "Not with my wanted status."

"That's not true," she shook her head. "There's a place in America that Daniel Greengrass helped me send you when I found you. They healed you up and then you came back and we got to work on proving you innocent. I can give you their information, if that'll help. But I can't stay here. My brothers will have noticed I'm gone, and Snape will be losing his fucking mind, plus my friends. If I don't get back soon, they'll do something stupid like try and find me at Malfoy Manor again, and I have no doubt they figured out it was Narcissa that got me out last time. If I'm not back soon, Snape'll get himself killed trying to find and help me."

Sirius stared at her. "You really are from a different universe."

"We are," Alexia agreed. "So let's get out of here and talk things over. Then, I need to talk with Cassiopeia."

"Cas- Alexia, just call me Cas or Cassie," the other girl requested. "No one calls me Cassiopeia unless I've pissed them off or they're worried for me. Mostly Snape and Regulus."

Alexia snorted. "Then call me Lexi, because only Lucius calls me Alexia and it just sounds weird."

"Now that we've got that cleared up," Loki spoke up. "Show us the way, Dolohov."

With a short nod, Antonin offered his arm to Alexia, and once she'd taken it, he guided them out of the room with Sirius trailing behind. They went to another room down the hall which seemed to be a study of sorts, and they all took their seats.

"I would like to know what has happened," Loki requested.

"Right," Harry grimaced. "I know you're gonna be mad, and I already know I'm grounded, so let's just… get that out of the way."

"Where is Wanda?"

"Um… in the castle? We might've… slipped away," he said sheepishly. The look he got made him shift uncomfortably. "I saw Sirius's name on the map, disappearing into the forest, so I ran to find him and Theo followed. But there were some issues with centaurs shooting at us, so we got to the cabin, but there was someone in it."

"Everyone is in America," Loki said, slightly startled.

"Yeah, it was an American kid," Harry shrugged. "His name is Peter. He said Tony put him there to keep him safe?"

Loki's eyes flashed with irritation. "Continue."

"So we went back out to find Sirius, except we ran into _her_," Harry nodded at Alexia. "And she's Hermione, but older and different, and a Potter, but also a Dolohov?"

"I'm actually both," she shrugged. "But continue."

"So she needed Sirius to help the other girl, so she used her Patronus to find him and convinced him to come help, and he did, and then I called you."

"Where are Theo and Peter?" Loki asked.

"I had my family magic take Theo to the castle and Peter to the cabin," Alexia cut in. "She's to protect them. They're fine."

"Yeah, what she said."

Loki's gaze shifted to Alexia. "You are not from here."

"Yeah."

"Your magical energy runs on a different sort of energy, one that doesn't belong here."

Alexia made a face. "I figured that out last time. I put up this shield that protects against everything except a Killing Curse and he sent a Crucio and it got through. My magic is weaker here because I don't belong here."

"That shield is some dark stuff, kitten," Sirius frowned. "And rare."

"Your grandfather helped me figure out its limits," she shrugged. "Antonin taught me how to cast it without burning through the magic in my blood and killing myself. Which I wouldn't have done. I dropped the shield the second it burned me."

"You would have killed yourself in less than a minute," Antonin scolded. "You taught yourself?"

"Well, partially," she shrugged. "You told me I was stupid, how to cast it, and sent me to Lucius to get my hand healed."

"Focus, please," Loki instructed. "I will assume the other girl, Cassiopeia, she does not belong from your universe either?"

"Nope," Alexia shook her head and popped the 'p'. "She's from another universe. We've met before. Luckily, as far as we know, nothing is trying to kill us again, which is nice. I don't have time for that bitch again. Draco's definitely told Antonin by now, and he's probably losing his shit. Jamie probably knows, and my Mum, and Lily and Harry… oh, boy. I gotta get home."

"Explain how you are a Potter and a Dolohov."

She shrugged. "It's a weird situation. I was muggleborn, or I thought I was. Turns out, my muggle father was actually a squib. He was a Dolohov."

"We kill squibs," Antonin spoke up, though she'd already explained it to him.

"Mm, you told me that years ago," she shook her head. "When we were trying to figure out how the hell we're related, because I suggested you guys threw a squib to muggles. I think you were trying to scare me, honestly, but it was just really annoying."

"I refer back to our earlier conversation," he replied, eyeing her. "He tried to scare you. Was this before or after he tried to murder you?"

"After," she rolled her eyes. "A year after, maybe two."

"Comforting."

"_Anyway_, I guess my grandparents and Kir decided to hide my muggle father in the muggle world. He changed his name from Ruslan to Richard Granger, and he married my mom and had me. I might've never found out, but there was an accident that sent me twenty seven years to the past and I became Alexia Potter. I was adopted by Harry's grandparents and formed a familial bond with them and a twin bond with James. That's where Anatoly found my name on the family tree and freaked out and told Antonin to stop fucking attacking me, and he let me know we were related by sparking a familial bond. We're like… fifth or sixth cousins, I think. Maybe farther back. We did get married, so I'm a Dolohov twice over, I guess, but I'm still a Potter. Jamie has primacy, too, and he's keeping a close fucking eye on Antonin."

"What year did you come from?" Loki settled on.

"1998," she replied easily. "But we've found that differences in time is common through multiverse travel. I'm aware it's 1994 now."

"You got back to the future?" Sirius asked, confused. "How?"

"The way I was sent to the past also brought me back to when I left," she shrugged. "I left on September 19th, 1979 - the day I was born."

"Explain Cassiopeia," Loki requested. "What is wrong with her?"

"Dolohov of her universe keeps fucking her up," Alexia said plainly. "And Voldemort. She's a pretty high target there. When we last met, things were getting bad. Antonin had done some… really bad things to her, and Voldemort had forced Regulus to torture her for three days before she could tell him who she was. Now… from what I've gathered, Voldemort had her taken again and she was… I'd rather not share the details. It's bad. Her core is fucked. I think however we got here was powered by her core, and it drained it, which is dangerous with how often that's been happening to her. That's why Sirius and I had to help. The last time we met, Antonin forged a bond between us and some other versions of us, and she's got a sealed sibling bond with Sirius."

"Why did you bring her here?" he wondered. "Knowing what he has done to her."

"She was dying," Alexia defended. "She needed help, and I wasn't enough. I had to find Sirius and Antonin offered to help. I've figured out that he's not a cunt like most of them, so I gave her to him. It was the best option I had. I couldn't just leave her in Scribbulus."

"Well," Loki looked around at them. "I suppose it's time we sort this out."

"How do we do that?" Harry wondered.

"You do nothing," Loki eyed him. "I will return you to Wanda's care and bring help for these women."

"Wait, no!" Harry exclaimed. He ignored the look he got that told him to be careful. "Dad, we have to help Sirius! He's innocent, you know that! Tonks and Andy have been telling me for three years that he's innocent!"

"We will do what we can," Loki assured him. "He will go to the mind healer Cassiopeia spoke of. That is, however, nothing you can help with. You will see him again, Trickster. You will be going back to the castle tonight, and I'll be taking that Map away from you for two weeks."

"Two _weeks_?" Harry stared at him in horror. "What if something tries to sneak into my dorm and kill me?"

"Perhaps Blaise will wake up for his hourly bathroom trips and warn you," Loki said dryly. He glanced at the group, who were watching in bemusement. Glancing back at his son, he put his hand on Harry's shoulder and suddenly they both disappeared.

"What was… what?" Alexia blinked a few times. She turned to Antonin. "What?"

"Lord Potter adopted the Boy Who Lived," he told her. "He is not of our world, it seems."

"Who the _hell_?" Sirius asked, his voice rising slightly. "Lord Potter? That man is _not_ a Potter. They're gone, aside from Harry!"

"He's right," Alexia agreed. "It was just Jamie and I, plus Mum and Dad. Everyone else had died. That's why Jamie was so worried about making me heir after Mum and Dad died, because if anything happened to him, the House would fall. And it did, for twenty years. Until I got back, we were gone."

"They have explained nothing," was all he replied with.

There was a beat of silence before Sirius got up and left the room, turning to the right. He slipped down to the room Cassiopeia had been in and was surprised to find her pacing in frustration. He hurried over and she only stopped when she caught sight of him nearing.

"Oh, Sirius."

"What's wrong?" he asked, slightly alarmed.

"I just don't know how we're going to get back this time," she explained. "It was different last time."

"How'd it happen?"

"We were taken to this universe where we found out that this psychotic version of ourselves just wanted to kill another named Mia. She and her husband had been moving us around with this… machine, and it was how we got ourselves home, too. Without it, I have no clue how we'll get back. We're stuck."

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad," he suggested quietly. She eyed him sadly. "Being here. The world isn't completely shit."

"You've already got a version of me, I assume. Probably Hermione Granger. I can't stay here, Sirius. I know you lost me, but you're not alone. You've got Harry, and you'll have Andromeda and Ted and Tonks if you reach out to them. Maybe Draco and Narcissa, too. I have my own people to get back to. I know my Sirius is probably losing his mind… I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid."

Sirius sighed. "Aren't you in danger there, though?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I'd be in danger here, too. Being a Black puts me in danger. Being your heir is worse. Voldemort's grudge against me is awful. But I have responsibilities. I need to take care of the alliance, the heirs, and my DA. I need to teach them to fight and protect themselves, and they can't do that if I'm stuck here. There's a lot I need to do with the war ramping up again."

"You could get hurt again," he pressed.

"I'm sure I will," she agreed. "But it's a war, Sirius. Alexia lived through it and I will, too."

"Well Alexia's life is bullshit, too," he huffed.

"I mean, it's not what I expected, but it didn't turn out _that_ bad," Alexia said from the door. She was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, and neither of them knew how long she'd been there. "James and Lily are alive, you're alive, Fabian and Gideon, Regulus… I'd say we did pretty good."

"Where'd Dolohov go?" Cassiopeia asked, tense. Alexia offered her a calming smile.

"To get rid of Nikita," Alexia shivered. "The bastard has apparently been downstairs this entire time and we didn't notice. He had to kick me out because the family magic sensed how I was feeling and was about to attack the bastard."

"Nikita Dolohov," Sirius repeated. "They let him out of Azkaban?"

Alexia raised an eyebrow. "What'd he go to Azkaban for?"

"He raped and killed his cousin," Sirius explained. Alexia paled dramatically.

"Fuck," she cursed. "That- _fuck_. Merlin, I've never been more glad Pollux killed him."

"Pollux- what?"

Alexia shrugged. "I was a Black asset that was kidnapped by Nikita and Kastya, so Pollux came to find me. Kastya killed Pollux, though, and Antonin killed Kastya when he finally found me. Took him long enough. Kastya'd already beaten me nearly to death."

"That bastard died fifteen years ago," Sirius settled on. "Why were Dolohovs trying to kill you if _you're_ a Dolohov?"

"Last female Dolohov," she explained. "Whomever _acquired_ me would be able to have the next heir with me. It was a race. Nikita, Kastya, and Feliks all tried. By the time Feliks did, Antonin and I were fed up so we just got married."

"The Dolohov family are some dark bastards," Sirius sighed. "You're sure _he_ didn't just acquire you?"

"Sirius," Alexia made a face. "I argued with my version of you since you were fifteen about my relationship with Antonin. I will not convince _you _of it as well."

"I don't get it," Cassiopeia admitted. "How you got one with… limits."

"Truthfully, I think he got a lot of those limits beaten into him when Anatoly found out he'd been attacking me for two years. But what he's done to you and Mia and Adelaide… he wouldn't have ever. We had a talk about it and I guess he didn't assume almost _anyone_ in the pureblood world would do it. He was pretty upset when I explained Crabbe and Goyle to him. I thought he was going to explode."

Loki appeared in the middle of the room with a woman and another man on either side of him. He looked exhausted as he took in the situation. "Where is Dolohov?"

"Chasing off family before I murder them," Alexia said easily. "Still debating the merits of murdering him, though."

"Bring him back," the other man said. He was much larger than Loki. While Loki was slim, this man was just _large_. He had huge, obvious muscles and was probably a full two feet taller than the dark-haired man to his left.

"Antonin or Nikita? Because if you're talking about Nikita, I can promise that motherfucker will be dead."

"Antonin," Loki shot her a dirty look. "You will not kill anyone of this universe. It is not your place."

Alexia made a face at him, but she slipped from the room and used her Patronus to guide her to Antonin, who was all the way down on the first floor. Unfortunately, Nikita was still there.

"_Hmm, are you going to share this delicious toy?_"

"_Depends, how badly do you want to be castrated_?" Alexia glared darkly. "_If you even look at me again, I'll cut your dick off._"

Nikita chuckled. "_She's a fighter. I like her. Do you mind, Antonin_?"

When he reached to grab Alexia, Antonin gripped his wrist and twisted it. "_Leave. We will discuss this tomorrow._"

"_I am here on business._"

"_Your business can wait, Nikita. Leave or I will allow her to do as she wishes._"

With a deep scowl, Nikita turned on his heel and left the house. Once he was safely gone, Alexia relaxed and, without thinking, dropped her head on Antonin's shoulder.

"_We're wanted upstairs. Lord Potter brought friends._"

Antonin put his hand on her back and guided her back up the stairs. When they got to the room, she was still tense, but she'd put back the dagger she'd reached for silently upon seeing the other Dolohov man.

"Ah, you're here," Loki said as he eyed the pair of them. "You might remember, Alexia, that this man is not your husband."

She glanced at him in confusion and then over to Antonin. It was only then that she realized how closely they were standing. She coughed awkwardly and took a step to the side to put space between them. "Right."

"We have been informed of your unfortunate journey," the woman said.

"No offense," Alexia said, looking between her and the huge man. "But who are all of you? All I got for the emo one is that he's Lord Potter, but being a Potter, I know that's bullshit."

"I am Frigga," the woman introduced. "Queen of Asgard."

"Thor Odinson," the large man said with a friendly nod.

"And I am Loki Laufeyson," the emo one said. "Harry's father."

"Harry's father is James," Sirius disagreed. His eyes flashed in frustration, but Alexia nodded.

"Makes sense. Harry's so different from mine, so I checked to see if we had our familial bond, and we didn't. His dad definitely isn't Jamie."

"No, Lexi, don't brush over the fact that they just said they're _gods_," Cassiopeia stared at the girl that she was beginning to think of as a friend. "What? Norse gods- well, you're not _real_."

"I assure you, we are," Frigga chuckled. "I cannot say for your own universes, however."

"But why are you here?" Alexia pressed. "I mean, it's definitely cool to meet you guys because holy shit, but… what's up?"

"It just so happens that we may be able to send you both home," the ethereal woman said with a smile. "I assume you'd both wish to return."

"Yes," the girls said together without hesitation.

"Well, it's simply a matter of magic and energy," Loki told them. "It has not been done in quite a while, but Frigga is better at magic than even myself."

"Okay, I get that," Cassiopeia shrugged. "Queen of Asgard, super badass, makes sense. But Thor? He's the god of thunder. What can he do?"

"Ah," Thor grinned. "I am the energy!"

"Lightning," Alexia's eyes lit up. "Brilliant!"

"Say your goodbyes," Frigga requested. "We can send you home momentarily."

Cassiopeia turned to Sirius. "I gave you the information for the mind healer. Please go, Sirius. I hate seeing you like this. Get better for me and watch out for Harry."

"You got it, Cassie," he said, sadness in his eyes. "Any chance this Hermione Granger is my dead sister?"

"I'd say no, but with the multiverse, anything is possible," Cassiopeia shrugged. "But don't be too disappointed if she isn't. I'm sure she'd still appreciate a magical sponsor and guide. Be that for her."

"That's… not done anymore."

"So do it," she stared at him. "We're Blacks, Sirius. Since when do we do what everyone else does? Who gives a fuck? Sponsor the kid, take care of her. Protect her from Crabbe and Goyle and Dolohov. Give… give one of us a good, safe life, will you?"

He nodded firmly. "I'll do whatever I can."

Alexia stood with Antonin hesitantly. "_I guess you're not an asshole, then_."

"_If you mean that I will not curse, stalk, kidnap, rape, and kill you, you are correct._"

She winced and spared a glance at Cassiopeia, who was watching her nervously. "_I'd say I'll see you, but, ah, I won't._"

"_Be safe, Vozlyublennaya. If he even thinks of raising a hand toward you, kill him._"

Alexia smiled softly. "_He won't, Antonin, but I promise I will. If I don't, everyone else in my life will._"

"_Good_," he stated firmly. His eyes bore into her before he finally looked away, and she managed to turn to Loki, who was watching her critically.

Cassiopeia stepped forward, but she paused when she moved to pass Alexia. She made her way over and grabbed Alexia in a tight hug. "Thanks for taking care of me."

Alexia hugged back, her smile softening. "Fucking murder Voldemort for me, okay? Do good in your life. Don't die, and don't let Sirius get away with his bullshit, okay?"

Cassiopeia nodded firmly. "Don't let Dolohov hurt you. Keep him on a tight leash. Make sure James and Lily are happy and safe."

"Deal."

"Before I send you through, I think it would be wise to let you know that because of the bond you share, any multiverse travel will likely pull any of the six of you to one another. Aside from that, your bond will leave you far more open to the multiverse's tricks. You may find yourselves on more than one more of these trips."

"Wonderful," Alexia made a face. "Well, at least you're a friendly face, Cassie."

"Better than Mia?" the girl grinned. The face Alexia made left her laughing.

"Are you both ready?" Loki asked them impatiently.

"I think we're good."

"In that case," Frigga raised her hands. A red light began pouring down toward the ground from them slowly. When it hit the floor, Thor's body began shining with lightning crawling over his skin. Very suddenly, three bolts shot from his arms in quick succession at the red light. When they hit, the red light lit up dangerously, and suddenly a portal was before them. "Cassiopeia, dear, you first."

With one last nod toward Alexia and a smile to Sirius, Cassiopeia sucked in a deep breath and stepped through the portal. Alexia immediately felt the intensity of the bond aggressively dull. "Is she in the right place? Do you know?"

"Of course she is," Frigga assured her. "Go on, now. It's your turn."

Shaking her head, Alexia stepped forward. The red portal poured over her, and then suddenly, she fell out in the DOM where she'd left from.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


End file.
